740 Live traffic info only in dock?

[cfrank]

Hello,
I'm considering buying the 740 TM Live because of its 2 sources of traffic info, combined with IQ routes. (I'm in the LA area).

I often carpool and would like to be able to take the GPS in someone else's car. I might also take it into a building so that I could determine the best route before leaving or check as I walked back to the car.

Does the unit have to be connected to the dock to receive LIVE updates or RDS-TMC updates? Are the receivers in the unit, the cord, or the dock?

From website photos, it looks like the power cord plugs into the windshield mount / dock, not into the unit. Is it possible to connect the power cord directly to the unit? Does the dock separate from the windshield mount?

Other posts have been very helpful about the 740's functionality and comparison to other models. Thanks in advance for any information you can give!

 

[dhn]

Live info is recreived in a sim card built into the unit. You don't need a dock.

 

[mvl]

Does the unit have to be connected to the dock to receive LIVE updates or RDS-TMC updates? Are the receivers in the unit, the cord, or the dock?

From website photos, it looks like the power cord plugs into the windshield mount / dock, not into the unit. Is it possible to connect the power cord directly to the unit? Does the dock separate from the windshield mount?

The non-live traffic is built into the power cord. The LIVE traffic is built into the Tomtom itself. You'll only get about 30 minutes on battery if the LIVE modem running, so you should bring a charger to your carpool.

The power cord plugs into the windshield dock. So you need the dock to charge the Tomtom. The windshield mount doesn't detach from the dock, so it makes things a bit difficult.

When I visited LA last summer, I used an aftermarket vent mount, which held 740 the computer dock (which also charges), and plugged it into a USB-to-carsocket adapter.

 

[cfrank]

Thank you for the info!

 

[cfrank]

Thanks for the info and the suggestion about using the computer dock with USB-car adapter!